Customizable state machine and state aggregation technique for processing collaborative and transactional business objects

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method is provided for aggregating state information associated with a composite business object representing at least one collaboration between business entities. The method includes retrieving the state information for the composite business object from a computer-readable medium and determining a state for the composite business object based on an assigned priority level for a state in a hierarchy of states associated with the composite business object, each state in the hierarchy of states having a corresponding assigned priority level.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/607,231, filed on May 26, 2017, entitled “Customizable State Machineand State Aggregation Technique for Processing Collaborative andTransactional Business Objects,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/941,493, filed on Nov. 16, 2007, entitled“Customizable State Machine and State Aggregation Technique forProcessing Collaborative and Transactional Business Objects,” now U.S.Pat. No. 9,665,893, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/978,277, filed Oct. 15, 2001, and entitled “Customizable StateMachine and State Aggregation Technique for Processing Collaborative andTransactional Business Objects.” U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.15/607,231 and 09/978,277 and U.S. Pat. No. 9,665,893 are assigned tothe assignee of the present application. The subject matter disclosed inU.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 15/607,231 and 09/978,277 and U.S.Pat. No. 9,665,893 is hereby incorporated by reference into the presentdisclosure as if fully set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates in general to state machines and statemachine design and, in particular, to a customizable state machine andstate aggregation technique for processing collaborative andtransactional business objects.

BACKGROUND

The use of object-oriented programming languages, such as C++,Smalltalk, JAVA, and Object Pascal, has allowed system designers andprogrammers to significantly increase the design flexibility andperformance of business applications in electronic commerceenvironments. Object-oriented programming languages allow programmers todefine the data type of a data structure, and the types of operationsthat can be applied to the data structure. As a result, the datastructure becomes an “object”, which is a self-contained entity thatincludes both data and the procedures (e. g., code) to manipulate thedata. Also, programmers can create relationships between objects. Forexample, an object can be created that can inherit certaincharacteristics of other objects. As such, a primary advantage ofobject-oriented programming over previous programming techniques is thatprogrammers can create software components that do not have to bechanged when a new type of object is introduced. A programmer can createa new object that inherits some of its characteristics from the existingobjects. Consequently, object-oriented software is typically much moredesign flexible than software developed according to previousprogramming techniques, because the object-oriented software isrelatively easy to modify. Also, using object-oriented software, objectdatabases that store objects directly can be used. An object stored inan object database can reference another object without the use oflinking fields (such as in relational databases). As a result, objectdatabases are typically much more powerful than relational databaseswhen handling complex object relationships with complex data types. Inorder to take advantage of object-oriented programming techniques,relational database manufacturers are in the process of combiningrelational and object technologies. Also, it is possible to use objectsin non-object-oriented languages, by the use of function calls that aredriven by object-oriented mechanisms.

A business object is an object that is modeled from a business concept,such as, for example, a business person, place, event, or process. Assuch, business objects can be created to represent actual businessentities, such as products, Purchase Orders, invoices, payments,customers, suppliers, employees, etc. Business objects are scalable andcan be deployed in various configurations and at multiple levels. Bytaking advantage of object-oriented technologies, business objects canbe used to develop and customize business applications.

In an electronic marketplace, enterprises (e.g., business organizations)must regularly collaborate to carry out their operations. For example,enterprises may collaborate with respect to sourcing, design,production, and any other suitable activities. However, certain businessobjects in a collaborative application tend to be very reactive. Inother words, their semantics (the meanings of their instructions) canchange radically based on the actions taken by different entities in thecollaborative application space. In this regard, it is crucial fordesigners to accurately model these business objects and their potentialbehavior based on the actions undertaken. The entities (e.g., businessenterprises) in a collaborative application space can perform a set ofwell-defined actions on these business objects, which actions are basedon the objects' stage of processing. These business objects carry logicthat is specifically related to the particular business implementationsinvolved. Consequently, when such a collaborative application isdeployed, the collaborative application needs to have sufficientflexibility to appropriately define the workflows and semantics for thebusiness objects involved.

State machines can be suitable vehicles for processing business objectsand the various states encountered during the objects' life cycles.However, existing state machine design approaches are incapable ofeffectively accounting for complex workflows and problems encountered ina collaborative environment. As a result, there is a pressing need for adesign approach that can simplify state machine design for acollaborative business environment, in terms of flexibility,customization, and deployment, and that also can realize a high level ofperformance for the business applications involved.

SUMMARY

According to the present invention, problems and disadvantagesassociated with previous state machines and state machine designtechniques may be reduced or eliminated.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, acomputer-implemented state machine is provided for processing businessobjects representing collaborations between business entities. At leastone business object represents a collaboration between businessentities. A number of graphs represented in computer-readable media eachcorrespond to a particular collaborating business entity. The graphs aregenerated using text files, at least a first text file including stateinformation for the business object, at least a second text fileincluding action information for the business object, and at least athird text file including transition information for the businessobject.

In accordance with another example embodiment of the present invention,a computer-implemented method is provided for aggregating stateinformation associated with a composite business object representing atleast one collaboration between business entities. The method includesretrieving the state information for the composite business object froma computer-readable medium and determining a state for the compositebusiness object based on an assigned priority level for a state in ahierarchy of states associated with the composite business object, eachstate in the hierarchy of states having a corresponding assignedpriority level.

In collaborative applications, certain hierarchical and compositebusiness objects may need to carry state information. Also, thecomponents and children of such business objects may need to carry stateinformation. In many cases, a composite business object may need aderived state based on the individual states of the composite businessobject's components. As such, in accordance with one example embodimentof the present invention, a state aggregation method is provided,whereby a composite business object can include a derived state computedfrom the individual states of the business object's components. As aresult, the state aggregation method can provide a mechanism forpropagating state information in a hierarchical (e.g., multi-tiered)business object.

Certain embodiments of the present invention can provide one or moretechnical advantages. For example, particular embodiments can provide apowerful, customizable state machine for handling collaborative andtransactional business objects in an electronic marketplace environment.Particular embodiments can provide a customizable state machine for usein handling collaborative and transactional business objects that canserve as a rules engine for the business objects involved. Apermissibility/security component of the collaborative state machine canallow different entities within an enterprise to have different views ofthe same state machine. Also, the collaborative state machine provides acapability for restricting different entities in different enterprisesto a certain extent so that the different entities can perform similaror related functions. Particular embodiments can provide sufficientflexibility for implementers of collaborative applications toappropriately define the workflows and semantics for the businessobjects involved. Particular embodiments can also adequately account forcomplex workflows and problems encountered in a collaborativeenvironment, such as, for example, appropriately integratingcollaborators' systems with third party Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) systems or other Systems of Record (SORs), optimizing concurrency,providing user-defined semantics for states and transitions, providingsuitable security at the state and action levels, providing an abilityto readily alter the state machine to suit the needs of specificentities, and sending notification messages associated with statetransitions. Particular embodiments can produce a simplified statemachine design for a collaborative business environment, in terms offlexibility, customization, and deployment that also can realize a highlevel of performance for the business applications involved.Furthermore, particular embodiments can provide state aggregation as apowerful mechanism for propagating state information in hierarchical ormulti-tiered business objects.

Systems and methods incorporating one or more of these or othertechnical advantages may be well suited for modem electronic commerceenvironments. One or more other technical advantages of the presentinvention may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from thefigures, description, and claims included herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following descriptions, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system that can be used to implement acustomizable state machine for processing collaborative andtransactional business objects in an electronic marketplace environment,in accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates certain interactions that can occurbetween entities in a collaborative application, and how thecollaborative state machine can facilitate a distributed synchronizationof collaborative business objects, in accordance with one exampleembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating programming pseudocode for using anexample state aggregator, in accordance with one example embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention and its advantages arebest understood by referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, like numeralsbeing used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 10 that can be used to implement acustomizable state machine for processing collaborative andtransactional business objects in an electronic marketplace environment,in accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention.System 10 may include buyers 12, suppliers 14, and abusiness-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), or otherelectronic marketplace 16 that can link buyers 12 to suppliers 14.Electronic marketplace 16 may be associated with one or more websitesaccessible to buyers 12 and suppliers 14. In general, suppliers 14 canmake products or other items available to buyers 12 and may collaboratewith buyers 12 in one or more ways to establish and maintain appropriatebuyer-supplier relationships. Depending on the nature of electronicmarketplace 16 and the market it supports, suppliers 14 may includemanufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, or any otherentities that supply items to and may collaborate with buyers 12 usingelectronic marketplace 16. Preferably, a database (not shown) associatedwith electronic marketplace 16 can store collaborative data supplied bybuyers 12 and suppliers 14 to electronic marketplace 16 based on theircollaborations, executions, and any other suitable interactions betweenbuyers 12 and suppliers 14 through electronic marketplace 16.

Buyers 12, suppliers 14, and electronic marketplace 16 may each operateon one or more computer systems at one or more locations and may sharedata storage, communications, or other resources according to particularneeds. These computer systems may include appropriate input devices,output devices, mass storage media, processors, memory, or othercomponents for receiving, processing, storing, and communicatinginformation in accordance with operation of system 10. Computer systemsreferred to herein may each include one or more individual computers atone or more suitable locations. Buyers 12 and suppliers 14 may interactwith electronic marketplace 16 autonomously or in accordance with inputfrom one or more users.

Buyers 12 and suppliers 14 may be coupled to electronic marketplace 16using one or more local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks(MANs), wide area networks (WANs), a global computer network such as theInternet, or any other suitable wireline, optical, wireless, or otherlinks. Buyers 12, suppliers 14, and electronic marketplace 16 maycommunicate with each other according to a hub-and-spoke, peer-to-peer,or other suitable architecture. For example, system 10 can beimplemented using a hub-and-spoke architecture in which spokes areappropriately integrated with enterprise systems of buyers 12 andsuppliers 14 to allow schedule-based data transfer between theseenterprise systems and electronic marketplace 16. In a particularembodiment, buyers 12 and suppliers 14 can communicate with electronicmarketplace 16, at least in part, in the form of Hypertext MarkupLanguage (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or other filescontained in Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) messages.

Essentially, in accordance with the present invention, a customizablestate machine for use in handling or processing collaborative andtransactional business objects is provided (hereinafter referred to as a“collaborative state machine”), which can serve as a rules engine forthe business objects involved. A permissibility/security component ofthe collaborative state machine can allow different entities within anenterprise to have different views of the same state machine. Also, thecollaborative state machine can provide a capability for restrictingdifferent entities in different enterprises to a certain extent so thatthe different entities can perform similar or related functions. Forexample, if an entity is performing a purchase order managementfunction, some of that entity's users can be processing change orders,while other users can be processing order cancellations.

In collaborative applications, certain hierarchical and compositebusiness objects may need to carry state information as well. Also, thecomponents and children (immediate descendants) of such business objectsmay need to carry state information. In many cases, a composite businessobject may need a derived state based on the individual states of thecomposite business object's components. As such, in accordance with oneexample embodiment of the present invention, a state aggregationtechnique is provided, whereby a composite business object can include aderived state computed from the individual states of the businessobject's components. As a result, the state aggregation method canprovide a mechanism for propagating state information in a hierarchical(e.g., multi-tiered) business object.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, acollaborative state machine is provided, which can successfully processreactive business objects and handle their modeling requirements. As aresult, the business objects can transition through a set of states intheir respective life cycles, and each of the business objects canmaintain a particular semantic for the entities involved. Assuming, forexample, that one set of states and rules may not satisfy the needs ofevery combination of entities involved in a collaborative application,the collaborative state machine can enable each group of collaboratingentities to set its own rules for the collaboration life cycle of thebusiness objects involved. As such, the collaborative state machine ishighly configurable and deployable.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, thecollaborative state machine can be represented by a set of adjacencygraphs, with one such graph for each entity in the collaborativeapplication space. An adjacency graph may be referred to as a statetransition graph where appropriate. The nodes in such a graph canrepresent states, and the links in such a graph can represent actions.Preferably, a set of states can be constant for all of the graphsinvolved. As described in detail below, the collaborative state machinecan appropriately handle problems encountered with previous techniques,such as appropriately integrating collaborators' systems with thirdparty ERP systems or other SORs, optimizing concurrency, providinguser-defined semantics for states and transitions, providing suitablesecurity at the state and action levels, providing an ability to readilyalter the state machine to suit the needs of specific entities, andsending notification messages associated with state transitions.Notification messages sent out when certain state transitions occur canbe conveyed in various forms, such as using emails, faxes, or eventlogs. Also, the collaborative state machine can serve as a rules enginethat dictates the life cycle and side effects for the business object orobjects involved.

More specifically, the collaborative state machine can control andexecute the life cycles of business objects involved. As such, aprocessor (not shown) associated with electronic marketplace 16 can loadthe collaborative state machine into memory for operation when abusiness application (e.g., software application) is initiated. Theprocessor can also be used to implement the collaborative state machine,which can be thread-safe and highly scalable, as described below. Assuch, the collaborative state machine can include data structures thatcontain information about states, actions, transitions, and updaterules. Also, the collaborative state machine can include lightweight“wrappers” overlaying the data structures, which can provide securitychecks and high performance interfaces for accessing information in thedata structures. Furthermore, the collaborative state machine caninclude state handlers for handling update rules and implementing rulesengines, and also provide suitable interfaces with other components inany system involved.

As mentioned earlier, the collaborative state machine can include a setof graphs may be stored or otherwise represented in memory, each graphcorresponding to a particular collaborating business entity. Forexample, a graph may be defined as a collection of dots, with some pairsof dots being connected by lines. The dots may be referred to asvertices, and the lines may be referred to as edges. As such, anadjacency matrix is an appropriate memory structure that can be used tostore such graphs. For example, an adjacency matrix can be defined as a01 square matrix whose rows and columns are indexed by the vertices. A“1” in the ij^(th) position of the matrix can mean that there is an edgefrom vertex i to vertex j. A “0” in the ij^(th) position of the matrixcan indicate that there is no such edge. Where appropriate, an adjacencymatrix may be referred to as a state transition matrix.

For one example embodiment of the present invention, a collaborativestate machine can include a number of graphs each corresponding to aparticular collaborating business entity. The graphs can be stored in athree-dimensional adjacency matrix for the state machine. For example,for a collaborative application, one dimension of the matrix canrepresent a State identifier (ID), a second dimension of the matrix canrepresent an Action ID, and a third dimension of the matrix canrepresent an Entity ID. Using suitable adjacency matrix computationtechniques, information stored in the three-dimensional adjacency matrixfor the state machine can represent resulting state values.

For example, state information can be stored in tables or other textfiles located in memory at locations indexed (e.g., addressed) by thestates' user names and IDs. Similarly, action information can be storedin tables or other text files located in memory at locations indexed bythe actions' user names and IDs. As a result, clients or users canrequest the collaborative state machine to provide up-to-dateinformation stored in one or more of these tables with respect tostates, actions, and any resulting state derived from a matrixcomputation (e.g., an adjacency matrix computation). Also, thecollaborative state machine can perform a permissions or security check,whereby the collaborative state machine can determine the permissions orsecurity level context for a user and verify the authenticity andpermission masks (e.g., information also stored in memory associatedwith electron marketplace 16) with respect to state and actioninformation requested by the user. Furthermore, all action descriptions(e.g., rules based on what updates occur at transitions) can be storedin memory as part of an action's object. Advantageously, the relatively“lightweight” memory structure described above with respect to thepresent invention supports a relatively high degree of scalability.

For one example embodiment of the present invention, each state can haveone or more sub-states (e.g., preferably with one level of nesting). Thesub-states can inherit the transitions of their respective super-statesSimilar to states, sub-states can also be modeled from a business logicperspective. For example, an order for a product may be placed on“hold”. From a business logic standpoint, an order being placed on“hold” does not necessarily mean that the order's state has completelychanged. The order can be temporarily placed on “hold” until an actionis taken to release that “hold”. In this case, the “hold” can be modeledas a sub-state.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, acollaborative state machine can be modeled as a rules engine for thesemantics of the business objects over their respective lifecycles. Forexample, the collaborative state machine can maintain (in memory) anaction description for each action defined for the system involved. Inthis regard, an action description can be modeled as an object that is acontainer for rules. The collaborative state machine can be designed to“understand” a fixed set of rules. As such, a system designer,programmer, or other implementer can configure the action update rulesas a subset of the fixed set of rules. For example, an action“CUSTOMER_CANCEL” taken by an entity type “CUSTOMER” can be associatedwith the following action update rules:“UPDATE_STATE|SUPPLIER_SYNC_DOWN|DEBIT_CREDIT_CARD”. For this creditcard example, the above-described rules can mean that when a customerperforms a “CUSTOMER_CANCEL” action to cancel a credit card charge, thesystem can update the original state of the transaction to the new state(“UPDATE_STATE”), and set an associated “SUPPLIER_SYNC” flag down. Thecredit card charge is then refunded.

Action descriptions can be used as “commands” for the collaborativestate machine to perform a particular operation or set of operations.For example, such operations can include updating database informationfor certain business objects, inserting or deleting certain businessobjects, and/or invoking other models (e.g., a model to perform ablanket Purchase Order netting application).

State handlers are classes (an object is defined via its class) that canprovide the logic for all transitions from a given state. State handlerscan control “what needs to be done” when a business object changesstate. The collaborative state machine enables implementers to writetheir own state handlers, which can be plugged into the collaborativestate machine. In this regard, a default state handler can be includedto handle all update rules (e.g., described earlier). However,individual state handlers can be written to suit the needs of specificapplications, if the default behavior of such applications isinappropriate and the default state handler should be overwritten.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, thecollaborative state machine can associate different types ofnotifications to the various state transitions that can occur in abusiness application. This notification function allows users tosubscribe to specific state transitions that can occur in a system. Thecontent of a notification message can be configured at the statetransition level. For each state transition that occurs, the content ofan associated notification message to be sent out can be configured, andany information contained within a business object can be included inthe content of the message. Notification messages can also be sent outfor state changes occurring at higher levels, such as in the case ofhierarchical objects (e.g., in conjunction with state aggregators asdescribed below). This notification framework provides a high level ofcustomization, by providing a capability for users to selectivelysubscribe to different events that can occur with respect to a givenbusiness object. As a result, users can have external entities invokedif certain state transitions occur.

In operation, a processor (e.g., associated with electronic marketplace16) can read the collaborative state machine information from a filesystem and load it into working memory. Alternatively, based on designpreferences, the collaborative state machine can be stored in adatabase. For one example embodiment, the processor can construct thecollaborative state machine, using tables or other text files stored inmemory or a database, to include a number of graphs stored in athree-dimensional or other appropriate adjacency matrix for the statemachine, where each graph corresponds to a particular collaboratingentity. At implementation time, a user can configure these tables tosuit the particular business scenario. Customization of thecollaborative state machine can include changing the user names ofstates, changing action descriptions, and adding new states, actions,and their associated transitions.

An application server (e.g., associated with electronic marketplace 16)can use system names internally as a primary key for all references tostates and actions. For one example embodiment, the collaborative statemachine can perform mapping between system names and user names, so thatthe user names can be changed at any time if so required by the businesslogic involved. States and actions can have an associated user name thatcan be customized to suit specific business needs.

As mentioned above, for example, three tables (e.g., text files) can beused to represent the collaborative state machine. An example structureand content for one such file (e.g., “State.txt” or state file) that canbe used to represent the collaborative state machine is shown in Table 1below:

TABLE 1 STATE NAME (User/ SSOR CSOR SUPER HANDLER System) ENABLEDENABLED STATE CLASS New Order 0 0 $null com.i2.gs . . . Line/GenerieStateHandler System Initial Open/Open 0 0 $null com.i2.gs . . .GenerieStateHandler Customer com.i2.gs . . . Cancelled/GenerieStateHandler C.Cancelled

For example, the “State.txt” file (above) can contain information forthe existing states in the system, the way the states are to be handledor processed, their SOR synchronization requirements, and theirsuper-state relationships. Each state can be characterized by a uniqueuser name, as well as a unique system name. The system name can bestored in memory (or a database), while the user name is visible to auser. As a result. context-specific names can be assigned to states. Fora collaborative application, a state object can include two fields:Customer Sync and Supplier Sync. These fields can be used for “locking”the specific business object for SOR synchronization (e.g., CSOR andSSOR for Customer SOR and Supplier SOR, respectively). An SOR Enabledflag on a state indicates that the state requires sync checks. Forexample, if the SOR flags are down (the state requires SORsynchronization), and the role type (e.g., customer or supplier)indicates SOR Enabled, that record is locked for all non-sync actions.All transitions are directed from a super-state to a sub-state (if thereare such sub-states). The handler class field defines the state handlerclass for transitions. For example, the handler class can default to ageneric handler, as shown in Table 1.

An example structure and content for a second such file (e.g.,“Action.txt” or action file) that can be used to represent thecollaborative state machine is shown in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2 ACTION NAME (User/System) ACTION DESCRIPTION Supplier Accept/UPDATE_STATE | S.ACCEPT UPDATE_DATA Customer UPDATE_HEADER |Cancel/C.CANCEL UPDATE_LINE_ITEM | UPDATE CDS SYNC FLAG

For example, the “Action.txt” file can contain information for theallowed actions in the system, along with their update rules. The actiondescription field constitutes a set of rules to apply when the actionoccurs. This field (e.g., can be optional) provides a configurable wayto describe the semantics of actions. An action description, if presentin this field, describes what happens when the action is applied to astate. The entries in this column can be predefined strings delimitedwith a bit-wise “OR” operator “|”. For example, the action descriptionshown in Table 2 of “UPDATE_STATE|UPDATE_DATA” tells the server thatwhen this action is encountered, the state is updated first, and thenthe data is updated.

An example structure and content for a third such file (e.g.,“Trans.txt” or transition file) that can be used to represent thecollaborative state machine is shown in Table 3 below:

TABLE 3 Collaborating RESULTING entity type START STATE ACTION STATECUSTOMER New Order Supplier Open Line Accept SUPPLIER New Order CustomerCustomer Line Cancel Cancelled

For example, the “Trans.txt” file can contain transitions as qualifiedby a collaborating entity type. Examples of such collaborating entitytypes can be: CUSTOMER, SUPPLIER, TRANSPORT PROVIDER, etc. As such,names in the “Trans.txt” file can be the user names of the states andactions involved. This file tells the server the resulting state on anaction for the role (collaborating entity type).

In accordance with the present invention, the collaborative statemachine is designed advantageously to allow actions to be reusable fordifferent states, which serves to keep the collaborative state machine'sstructure and operation relatively “lean”. Typically, certain kinds ofactions can be repeated for many states. For example, a “Cancel” Actioncan be undertaken for most states. Consequently, the collaborative statemachine advantageously allows the same semantics to be reused fordifferent states.

Once the collaborative state machine is loaded successfully into memory(or a database), the updates and state changes associated with thebusiness objects bound by the collaborative state machine can becontrolled by the collaborative state machine. As such, the update andread routines are written to interact with the collaborative statemachine. In implementation, more than one collaborative state machinemay be used. For example, a different collaborative state machine can beused for each type of business object that carries state information. Assuch, different collaborative state machines can be used to control thehandling of different Purchase Orders. A Purchase Order can associateitself with the specific state machine through a grouping criteriapresent on the Purchase Order. Similarly, as another example, differentcollaborative state machines can be used to control the handling ofdifferent Advance Shipment Notices, because their rules and states canbe different.

A User Interface (UI) can be used to communicate with the collaborativestate machine to fetch all possible states that a logged-in user maydesire to view (e.g., on a computer monitor), and also fetch actionsthat the user can take for the business objects that are beingdisplayed. Alternatively, the collaborative state machine can also drivethe UI rendering of an object to be viewed.

For one example embodiment, batch processes can be used for settingcertain actions for the business objects involved, and conveying theactions for updates to occur. In this regard, update and insertApplication Program Interfaces (APIs) can be used to communicate withthe collaborative state machine in order to validate actions based onthe existing state of the business object involved, and also todetermine the resulting state as well as the data to be updated orinserted. Most of the batch read operations can be based on state eventsas the principal restrictions (e.g., fetch all Purchase Orders that arein a “New” state). In this case, a read API can communicate with thecollaborative state machine to ensure that the particular batch processcan pass the security requirements for the requested state.

As mentioned above, the lifecycle of a business object (e.g., PurchaseOrder) is preferably controlled using the collaborative state machine.As a result, the collaborative state machine can allow different“client” mechanisms (e.g., XML, flat files, Web-based interface, etc.)to operate on the same business object and “walk” it through itslifecycle independently of the mechanism that is changing the businessobject's state.

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates certain interactions that can occurbetween entities in a collaborative application, and how thecollaborative state machine can facilitate a distributed synchronizationof collaborative business objects, in accordance with one exampleembodiment of the present invention. Typically, (102) a business object(e.g., Purchase Order) can be created in an SOR and conveyed (e.g., viathe Internet) to a collaborative application server (e.g., TRADEMATRIXapplication server developed by i2 TECHNOLOGIES US, INC.). Another partyin the collaboration space can retrieve the object (e.g. Purchase Order)from the application server, convey the object back to its SOR, andprocess the object (104). After processing of the object is completed(106), that party can convey (108) the business object back to thecollaborative application server (e.g., as a promise in response to thePurchase Order), so that other parties can process the object. Forexample, the party that created the Purchase Order can retrieve theobject (including the promise) from the application server (110),process the object, and if needed, convey the object (e.g., representingan approval or rejection of the promise) to the application server(112).

As mentioned earlier, in accordance with the present invention, thecollaborative state machine ensures that the consistency of data ismaintained during the processing cycle. The collaborative state machinealso ensures that the consistency of data is readily configurable. Assuch, the collaborative state machine is capable of providing a dualmode of operation (e.g., with or without SOR synchronization). Forexample, in some business collaboration scenarios, a party may or maynot have a SOR. For example, a relatively large business organizationmay have a SOR, but some of its smaller-sized suppliers may not be ableto afford a SOR. In this case, the collaborative state machine candetermine that “locking” (e.g., locked together in synchronization)between entities should not be enforced. The entity without an SOR caninteract with the other entity's (e.g., one that has a SOR) applicationserver via the application server's UI (or other such interface). Assuch, each entity in a system can have information associated with itsneed for synchronization stored within that entity's profile. Forexample, an entity without a SOR may have profile information thatindicates synchronization is not required.

Furthermore, the collaborative state machine provides synchronizationoptions on per state and per entity bases, by controlling a lockingfunction in accordance with the particular state and/or entity involved.For certain states, as mentioned above, synchronization locking may notbe required and thus not enforced for a particular entity. For example,a customer does not have to be locked for entity synchronization for anorder in a “shipped” state, because the only updates allowed for thatstate are for suppliers. As a result of allowing synchronizationoptions, the collaborative state machine provides more flexibility forapplication implementers than previous techniques, enables theimplementers to readily customize business applications, and therebyincrease their performance.

As another example, locking might be required for the followingcollaborative business scenario. On Jun. 10, 2001 a customer in Dallas,Tex. requests one hundred computers from a supplier. In response, thesupplier can retrieve this information from the collaborativeapplication, process the information through the supplier's specializedSOR, and return to the customer on Jun. 10, 2001 at Dallas, Tex., with apromise of ninety computers. It is preferable that the customer notchange the order until after the supplier returns with a response.Consequently, a locking mechanism can be used to ensure that the orderis not changed until a response is returned.

Furthermore, the collaborative state machine advantageously ensures thatintegration with external SORs is easily achieved. Importantly, thecollaborative state machine can make this integration configurable atstate level. For example, the collaborative state machine can accomplishsuch integration by attaching one or more SOR flags to a state as partof its meta-information (as described above), along with detailedprofile information about the entities involved. Each instance of statecan have a plurality of flags that determine the synchronization statusof the collaborating entities. For example, if an entity has a SOR, anda corresponding SOR flag is down for an object, the collaborative statemachine can ensure that an update will not go through for that object,and also set a flag that an update error has occurred.

The collaborative state machine can enable a VI to decide how to renderobjects based on state events. The actions update rules can provideinformation to the UI about all possible updates for a particular object(e.g., being displayed to a user). Also, for object rendering purposes,the collaborative state machine can include certain UI-specific updaterules as part of the general update rules. Furthermore, in certaininstances, the collaborative state machine can drive the workflow for anobject. For example, a UI can contact the collaborative state machine todetermine the types of updates that are possible for a given action, anduse a particular workflow for objects undertaking that action.

As described earlier, the action description for an action informs anapplication about “What to do when this action occurs”. A UI can alsouse this type of information to determine “What a user can be allowed todo if a business entity is in this state”. As a result, the UI candecide what to display to a user when showing a business object (e.g.,Purchase Order) in a particular state. Also, the UI can decipher whattable “columns” can be edited in a particular state. In this way, thecollaborative state machine enables UIs to be highly configurable, whichlends itself to a highly customizable collaborative state machine.

For hierarchical objects, a “state” at higher levels in a hierarchy canbe a computation based on the states of the preceding lower levels. Inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a stateaggregation method is provided to augment a collaborative state machinein order to effectively handle such hierarchical objects. As such, stateaggregators can facilitate a different type of collaborative statemachine at the higher levels of hierarchical business objects. Thisslightly different type of collaborative state machine can be referredto as a “Computed State Machine”. The state aggregators, which areconfigurable, can form configurable business logic that drives theComputed State Machine at the aggregate level. In some implementations,the lowest level object can go through an entire state transition, andthe higher level objects may just be containers of information (i.e., notransitions). As such, the entities in the collaboration do not operatedirectly on the higher level object. Consequently, in accordance withthe present invention, the state of the higher level object can becomputed as an aggregation.

For example, a state aggregator can take an array of states forcomposite objects, and decide what the higher level state should be. Forexample, a Purchase Order level state aggregator can review the statesof the composite line items of the Purchase Order, and decide what thestate of the Purchase Order should be. As such, in accordance with thepresent invention, aggregators can be defined for all composite itemsthat are composed of objects that have state characteristics. Such astate aggregator can have the following requirements. First, the stateaggregator file is to be loaded into memory at implementation time. Assuch, an implementer can write its own state aggregator if so desired. Apointer to a memory address for that state aggregator can be placed in aproperty file. Second, a default implementation is to be provided forthe state aggregators based on state priorities. An implementer canselect the default implementation, and customize one or more of thestate priorities for the specific business model involved. Third, astate aggregator has to suitably handle transaction semantics andconcurrency issues.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating programming pseudocode for using anexample state aggregator, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. Essentially, referring to FIG. 3, in most cases,state aggregation can be performed by assigning priorities to states,and selecting the state having the highest priority as the resultingstate. A priority aggregator can perform this function by reading thepriorities of states, and maintaining the priority information in thepriority aggregator's tables. For example, a file for a priorityaggregator can be referred to as an “Aggregator-priorities.txt” file,and can be read from a file system when the application server is loadedfor operation. An example structure for the information that can bemaintained in an Aggregator-priorities.txt file is shown in Table 4below:

TABLE 4 STATE NAME PRIORITY NEW ORDER LINE 1 OPEN 2

In implementing an Aggregator_priorities.txt file, an assumption can bemade that the smaller “priority” numbers in the file represent higherpriorities than the larger numbers. Preferably, no negative prioritynumbers are used, and no two states in the file are allowed to have thesame priority.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoingdescription, it will be understood that the invention is not limited tothe embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of theinvention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for facilitatingprocessing by a collaborative state machine of business objects,comprising: creating a composite business object representing at leastone collaboration between two or more business enterprises and includingone or more components comprising component state information;receiving, over a computer network from a system of one of the businessenterprises, composite state information of the composite businessobject; generating two or more graphs represented in computer-readablemedia, each graph corresponding to a particular collaborating businessentity of the two or more business enterprises, the two or more graphsbeing generated using three or more text files, at least a first of thetext files comprising state information associated with the businessobject, at least a second of the text files comprising actioninformation associated with the business object, and at least a third ofthe text files comprising transition information associated with thebusiness object, wherein the two or more graphs are stored in a statetransition matrix for the collaborative state machine; determining, bythe collaborative state machine in response to the receiving, asynchronization criteria that is required for synchronization betweensystems corresponding to the two or more business enterprises; inresponse to the two or more business enterprises each having a system ofrecord, synchronizing the systems corresponding to the two or morebusiness enterprises according to the synchronization criteria; and inresponse to at least one of the two or more business enterprises nothaving a system of record, not synchronizing the systems correspondingto the at least one business enterprise not having a system of record.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the two or moregraphs are adjacency graphs and the state transition matrix is amultidimensional adjacency matrix.
 3. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein: the state information comprises at least one of stateidentifier information, state handler class information, synchronizationrequirement information, and super-state relationship information; theaction information comprises at least one of allowed action informationand update rule information; and the transition information comprises atleast one of entity type information, starting state information, actiontaken information, and resulting state information.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, afterretrieving composite state information of a composite business objectand before generating two or more graphs represented incomputer-readable media: accessing permissions data stored in thenon-transitory computer-readable medium; and generating one or moregraphs represented in computer-readable media corresponding to one ormore collaborating business entities that are permitted by thepermissions data to view the one or more graphs.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising, afteraccessing permissions data stored in the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium and before generating one or more graphsrepresented in computer readable media: accessing a lightweight wrapperoverlaying the composite business object; and performing a securitycheck on the composite business object to confirm the composite businessobject and lightweight wrapper comply with the permissions data.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a first dimension of thestate transition matrix represents a state identifier associated withthe business object, a second dimension of the state transition matrixrepresents an action identifier associated with the business object, athird dimension of the state transition matrix represents an entityidentifier associated with the business object, and information storedin the state transition matrix comprises state values resulting from acomputation performed by the collaborative state machine.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the composite stateinformation of a composite business object comprises one or more nestedinformation sub-states.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumembodied with software for facilitating processing by a collaborativestate machine of business objects, wherein the software when executedusing one or more computers is configured to: create a compositebusiness object representing at least one collaboration between two ormore business enterprises and including one or more componentscomprising component state information; receive, over a computer networkfrom a system of one of the business enterprises, composite stateinformation of the composite business object; generate two or moregraphs represented in computer-readable media, each graph correspondingto a particular collaborating business entity of the two or morebusiness enterprises, the two or more graphs being generated using threeor more text files, at least a first of the text files comprising stateinformation associated with the business object, at least a second ofthe text files comprising action information associated with thebusiness object, and at least a third of the text files comprisingtransition information associated with the business object, wherein thetwo or more graphs are stored in a state transition matrix for thecollaborative state machine; determine, by the collaborative statemachine in response to the receiving, a synchronization criteria that isrequired for synchronization between systems corresponding to the two ormore business enterprises; in response to the two or more businessenterprises each having a system of record, synchronize the systemscorresponding to the two or more business enterprises according to thesynchronization criteria; and in response to at least one of the two ormore business enterprises not having a system of record, not synchronizethe systems corresponding to the at least one business enterprise nothaving a system of record.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 8, wherein the two or more graphs are adjacency graphsand the state transition matrix is a multidimensional adjacency matrix.10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein: thestate information comprises at least one of state identifierinformation, state handler class information, synchronizationrequirement information, and super-state relationship information; theaction information comprises at least one of allowed action informationand update rule information; and the transition information comprises atleast one of entity type information, starting state information, actiontaken information, and resulting state information.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the softwarewhen executed is further configured to, after retrieving composite stateinformation of a composite business object and before generating two ormore graphs represented in computer-readable media: access permissionsdata stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium; and generateone or more graphs represented in computer-readable media correspondingto one or more collaborating business entities that are permitted by thepermissions data to view the one or more graphs.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the software when executedis further configured to, after accessing permissions data stored in thenon-transitory computer-readable medium and before generating one ormore graphs represented in computer-readable media: access a lightweightwrapper overlaying the composite business object; and perform a securitycheck on the composite business object to confirm the composite businessobject and lightweight wrapper comply with the permissions data.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a firstdimension of the state transition matrix represents a state identifierassociated with the business object, a second dimension of the statetransition matrix represents an action identifier associated with thebusiness object, a third dimension of the state transition matrixrepresents an entity identifier associated with the business object, andinformation stored in the state transition matrix comprises state valuesresulting from a computation performed by the collaborative statemachine.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,wherein the composite state information of a composite business objectcomprises one or more nested information sub-states.
 15. A system forfacilitating processing by a collaborative state machine of businessobjects, comprising: an electronic marketplace comprising two or morebusiness enterprises; at least one supplier entity of the two or morebusiness enterprises, wherein the at least one supplier entity suppliesone or more products; and the electronic marketplace configured to:create a composite business object representing at least onecollaboration between the two or more business enterprises and includingone or more components comprising component state information; receive,from a system of one of the business enterprises, composite stateinformation of the composite business object; generate two or moregraphs represented in computer-readable media, each graph correspondingto a particular collaborating business entity of the two or morebusiness enterprises, the two or more graphs being generated using threeor more text files, at least a first of the text files comprising stateinformation associated with the business object, at least a second ofthe text files comprising action information associated with thebusiness object, and at least a third of the text files comprisingtransition information associated with the business object, wherein thetwo or more graphs are stored in a state transition matrix for thecollaborative state machine; determine, by the collaborative statemachine in response to the receiving, a synchronization criteria that isrequired for synchronization between systems corresponding to the two ormore business enterprises; in response to the two or more businessenterprises each having a system of record, synchronize the systemscorresponding to the two or more business enterprises according to thesynchronization criteria; and in response to at least one of the two ormore business enterprises not having a system of record, not synchronizethe systems corresponding to the at least one business enterprise nothaving a system of record.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the twoor more graphs are adjacency graphs and the state transition matrix is amultidimensional adjacency matrix.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein:the state information comprises at least one of state identifierinformation, state handler class information, synchronizationrequirement information, and super-state relationship information; theaction information comprises at least one of allowed action informationand update rule information; and the transition information comprises atleast one of entity type information, starting state information, actiontaken information, and resulting state information.
 18. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the electronic marketplace is further configured to,after retrieving composite state information of a composite businessobject and before generating two or more graphs represented incomputer-readable media: access permissions data stored in thenon-transitory computer-readable medium; and generate one or more graphsrepresented in computer-readable media corresponding to one or morecollaborating business entities that are permitted by the permissionsdata to view the one or more graphs.
 19. The system of claim 18, whereinthe electronic marketplace is further configured to, after accessingpermissions data stored in the non-transitory computer-readable mediumand before generating one or more graphs represented incomputer-readable media: access a lightweight wrapper overlaying thecomposite business object; and perform a security check on the compositebusiness object to confirm the composite business object and lightweightwrapper comply with the permissions data.
 20. The system of claim 15,wherein a first dimension of the state transition matrix represents astate identifier associated with the business object, a second dimensionof the state transition matrix represents an action identifierassociated with the business object, a third dimension of the statetransition matrix represents an entity identifier associated with thebusiness object, and information stored in the state transition matrixcomprises state values resulting from a computation performed by thecollaborative state machine.